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Check out other interviews with artistes appearing at the Legends of Western Swing Festival

Graham Lees Interviews

Bill Adams

 

 

Bill Adams lives near Nocona, Texas with his wife Naomi (Nay) P. Adams. Bill learnt to play the guitar by ear and back in the days of the movie theatres put on a fifteen minute musical show between each feature movie. After being called up by Uncle Sam, Bill joined the Air Force and continued love of music, playing in the Non-Commissioned Officers club. Bill has delighted thousands of people with his music and God given talent and was installed into the Country Hall Of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia in 1987. While attending the 14th Legends Of Western Swing Festival at Wichita Falls in June 2001, I took the opportunity to talk with Bill about his music.

Glad to meet you Bill, tell me, how did you start out in the music business?

"Years and years ago my sister was dating a guy that played guitar. I was probably 10 and he taught me a few chords on the guitar and I just fell in love with it and spent the rest of my life trying to learn to play. I started doing early morning radio program in Macon, Georgia on the mutual network. We didn't make any money out of it, we were just glad to do it. Played in local bands out in Macon, Georgia starting when I was 14 doing a radio show. Then later I guess the Korean conflict broke out and I went to service and was stationed here in Wichita Falls, Texas where I met my wife, Naomi, (who was Naomi Payne) when I was playing a dance here out on the lake. It was called Lake Wichita Pavilion...it has gone now, but they used to book big bands there. We played around here for a year or two, got transpired to Waco, Texas and played around fro about a year before being discharged in Waco.

We went back to Georgia and worked the Atlanta/Georgia market on the side while working a regular job for about 27 years. When I retired I said I'm retiring, I'm giving my resignation. So Nay said if you do I'm going back to Texas and you can go with me if you want to! (Laughs) So I followed her and we came back to Texas and I got back in touch with my long time friend, fiddle player bobby Boatright. Bobby got me into a couple of things and next thing I know, here I am in full swing again and enjoying every minute of it. It's so much fun to see people enjoying themselves and to see them dance. I feel that when they get on the dance floor they think of nothing...nothing bothers them and that's a good feeling."

I heard you were on TV for a while.

"Yes that was here in Wichita Falls on a show called the Big 6 Jamboree. Bill Mack was the headliner, who was a well-known disc jockey and a good composer."

Yes, we know him more recently for introducing the song 'Blue' to LeAnn Rimes.

"That's right. I believe Bill originally wrote that song for Patsy Cline and never hooked up with it. He probably wrote that song about 62 or 63 and never hooked up with Patsy. Then LeAnn came along and he pitched it to her and the rest is history. You know he also wrote 'Drinking Champagne' that George Strait did. He has also written a couple pf songs that the Maddox Brothers & Rose did back in the 60s - 70s and I'll bet he has a catalogue which is so thick now."

You have also written a couple of songs with him, tell me about that.

"Yes! It was so funny. We did one in I guess 1960. I didn't see Bill for a long time when he was with Starday Records. It was a good song...I loved it...Bill loved it, but nobody else did...it didn't make any money (laughs) "

That's the way it goes! When did you form your own band?

1976 I formed a trio to work the motel circuit...just the little cocktail lounges. I called it the Town & Country Trio. We did some pop music and country music, kind of blending it all in. Then from there I had several kinds of bands, all the way from a trio to 7-8 pieces. Now it's almost awfully hard to work 9-10 pieces. You love to, you get a better sound. But economically it's not feasible"

You've played with some big names over the years, so tell me little about that.

"Over the years I worked with Tex Ritter, "Smiley" Brunette, I did some shows with "Smiley". The strange thing that a lot of people don't know about him...terrific player, he really was. We did some shows in Cash Oklahoma with him at an outdoor festival. We had a lot of time to sit around and visit and jam. There was a piano there and we got to playing on the guitars and then he walked over to the piano and started playing. I almost dropped my teeth! It ended up with a really good jam session.

I've worked a lot off and on. Backed up Elvis Presley when he first got started. It was here at Wichita Falls at the City Auditorium. He did the show and it was so funny. The headliner on the show as we thought, was hank Snow. Elvis was on the same show and when Hank came on first, the kids were booing like crazy and hollering, Elvis, Elvis. Oh man we felt so bad for Hank. (laughs) But Elvis went on and did pretty good I'd say!"

He sure did!

"But us traditional guys didn't like them booing Hank Snow too much!" (laughing)

So what drew your interest to western swing

"Probably...it was back when I was doing the radio show in Macon, Georgia when I was 14. We were on about 5-45 in the morning. We finished our show and the news came on. Then the Light Crust Doughboys from Texas came on. We used to hang around and listen to those guys and that was my first exposure to Bob Wills, "Smokey" Montgomery and those guys. We lost him a couple if weeks ago (June 2001). Those guys are getting some age on them. It seems that we've lost one every few months. It is a big loss to the music."

Thanks for your time Bill it's been a pleasure talking with you.

"It's nice that people like you come and participate in the western swing festivals. Because what keeps this music going is some die-hards like myself who don't want to let it go. Then people like you will let the rest of the world know that it is still going on. So you're doing a good job for us and appreciate it very much."

Thanks Bill, I'll keep trying.

"O.K. Thanks"